Riding recreational toy spring-mounted on a swinging platform

ABSTRACT

A child&#39;&#39;s toy which includes supporting structure for simulated bodies resembling animals, autos, aeroplanes and the like which may either be provided with seats extending between opposite simulated sides of the body, or a saddle upon the back of a simulated hose or pony, the body being supported by spring means which will permit tilting, swivelling or pivoting vertical bouncing movement. To further enhance the potential movement of the simulated body, one or more of the same are supported upon a platform suspended between a pair of transversely spaced upright members by means of elongated members extending downwardly from the upper portions of said upright members for purposes of additionally providing swinging or gliding movement of said platform and simulated body thereon back and forth, substantially within horizontal planes to obtain linear travel as well as a rock and swivel bounce in a vertical plane, perpendicular to the horizontal. Power means are also provided to effect such swinging movement of said platform and the animal body, if desired.

United States Patent [19] Meade RIDING RECREATIONAL TOY SPRING-MOUNTEDON A SWINGING PLATFORM [1 1 3,834,692 451 Sept. 10, 1974 PrimaryExaminer-Anton O. Oechsle Assistant Examiner-Amold W. Kramer Attorney,Agent, or Firm-C. Hercus Just [76] Inventor: James R. Meade, 51 ByberryAve.,

Hatboro, Pa. 19040 [57] ABSTRACT [22] Filed: June 22, 1973 A childs toywhich includes supporting structure for simulated bodies resemblinganimals, autos, aero- [211 Appl' 372678 planes and the like which mayeither be provided with seats extending between opposite simulated sidesof [52] U.S. Cl 272/525, 272/53.l, 272/86 the body, or a saddle upon'theback of a simulated [51] Int. Cl A63g 9/10, A63g 9/16 hose or pony, thebody being supported by spring [58] Field of Search 272/52, 52.5, 53.1,53.2, means which will permit tilting, swivelling or pivoting 272/85,86, 89, 55, 56, 54; 5/108, 127, 93 R, vertical bouncing movement. Tofurther enhance the 93 B; 248/370; 297/181, 274, 277; potential movementof the simulated body, one or 280/ 1.201, 1.206, 1.207 more of the sameare supported upon a platform suspended between a pair of transverselyspaced upright members by means of elongated members extending 5References Cited downwardly from the upper portions of said uprightUNITED STATES PATENTS members for purposes of additionally providingswinging or gliding movement of said platform and simul i f Q lated bodythereon back and forth, substantially within l289382 12,1918 323;;27'2/52 horizontal planes to obtain linear travel as well as a 17556194/1930 272/52 rock and swivel bounce in a vertical plane, perpendic-2:494:l84 l/ 1950 Linder 272/52 ular to the horizontal. Power means arealso provided 2,806,698 9/1957 Thoeming.. 272/52 to effect such swingingmovement of said platform and 3,648,307 3/1972 Meade 5/127 X the animalbody, if desired.

9 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures f ea /4 e5 6 50 7 I /4 /f r 94 c2 68 /lt rm N lag/1W2 W/XW1HHY-X\/ AJ-rsov RIDING RECREATIONAL TOY SPRING-MOUNTEDON A SWINGING PLATFORM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For many years,so-called hobby horses have been in existence which are composed of abody simulating a horse, usually with feet extending outwardly fromopposite ends of the body, downwardly extending pivoted members engagingthe feet to provide a to and fro movement of the horse. Similarly, overthe years, there have been a number of developments in the field ofspring-mounted horses to provide toys upon which children could bepositioned to simulate a rider, the springs providing somewhat of atilting, or vertical up and down movement, on coiltype extension springswith no attempt to provide a back and forth linear horizontal movement.Examples of the latter type of horsesimulating toys are found in thefollowing US. Pat. Nos.:

1,289,382 Brurock 1918 2,746,754 Martel 1956 2,756,051 Shone 19562,769,484 Kairath 1956 2,953,375 Horgan 1960 It will be seen that noneof the foregoing patents disclose a toy comprising a simulated animal orother riding type toy in which there is provided both vertical up anddown, tilting movement, as well as back and forth linear movementsubstantial within a horizontal plane. It is the general purpose of thepresent invention to provide such combination movements in a toy whichoffers safe riding amusement, particularly one in which more than onechild simultaneously can occupy the simulated bodies of a riding nature.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the principal object of the presentinvention to provide a ridingtype toy for children comprising aplatform, at least one simulated body having seat means thereon, springmeans extending between said platform and said body for purposes ofpermitting vertical oscillating and pivotal spring or bouncing movementof the body, perpendicular to the platform, a frame having a pair oftransversely spaced upright members respectively adjacent opposite sideedges of said platform, elongated suspending members extending downwardfrom the upper portions of said upright members and arranged forswinging movement of the lower portions thereof relative to thepivotally supported upper end portions, and means interconnecting thelower portions of the suspended members to the platform at transverselyspa'diabaiibhs' to provid e support for the platform and the one or morebodies thereon and also permit swinging movement thereof back and forthin opposite substantially horizontal directions to provide a compoundmovement of said animal body under controlled conditions to provideadequate safety and freedom from injury to children mounted upon thesimulated animal body, or other bodies.

For purposes of the invention, it is conterplated that the body for theriding type toy may comprise a simulated animal such as a horse or pony,automobile, aeroplane, or a number of other riding type vehicles orobjects. To simplify the illustration and description of the inventionherein several types of toy horses have been selected for specificillustration and these are to be considered representative of the abovedescribed group.

It is another object of the invention to provide pairs of elongatedmembers adjacent each upright member, at transversely spaced locations,to provide substantially horizontal movement of the platform, at variouselevations controlled by the pivotal movement of said suspendingmembers.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a plurality of springmeans respectively adjacent opposite sides of an animal body, the samebeing connected to said platform and engaging said animal bodysubstantially adjacent opposite ends thereof to afford limited tilting,pivoting or swivelling movement of said body relative to the platform inconnection with said vertical movement of the animal body.

Stillanother object of the invention is to provide said spring means inthe nature of oppositely bowed portions, the upper portions thereofbeing secured to transverse members extending through said animalsimulating body, substantially adjacent opposite ends thereof, saidtransverse members being fixed nonrotatably relative to the animal bodyand projecting from opposite sides of the body for connection to saidupper portions of said spring means.

It is a further object of the invention to provide substantially stiffmeans extending between and connected to the outwardly extending ends ofsaid transverse members connected to said animal. simulating body forpurposes of preventing relative rotation between said transverse membersand said body.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a foot rest barprojecting transversely through the forward portion of said simulatedanimal body or other type of body contemplated by this invention, saidbar normally being spaced above said spring means but adapted to engagesaid spring means when said body tilts downwardly at the forward end apredetermined amount and thereby restricts such downward tiltingmovement to provide safety and prevent accident to a child riding saidbody. I

One further object of the invention is to provide various arrangementsof generally S-shaped spring means having portions facing each other inopposite directions and adapted to provide limited vertical bouncingmove ment of the simulated animal body relative to the support andplatform.

It is still another object of the invention to provide an intermediatesupporting frame between the lower portions of said elongated membersand said platform and provide motor means beneath said platform and arocking arm driven by said motor and engaging said platform to move itlimited amounts horizontally for swinging to and fro.

Ancillary to the foregoing object, it is a further object to providesaid platform with an upstanding member at one end and pin and slotcoengaging means between said upstanding member and said rocking arm toeffect driving movement between said arm and member.

One further object of the invention is to provide quick detachablepositioning and securing means between said platform andsaidintermediate supporting frame preferably in the form of angular pinsadjacent one edge of said supporting frame and bolts having wingnutsthereon adjacent the opposite edge, whereby said platform and the animalsimulating bodies connected thereto may be removed from saidintermediate supporting frame and disposed upon a supporting surfacesuch as a floor when simple bouncing movement is required in the absenceof horizontal swinging movement.

Details of the foregoing objects and of the invention, as well as otherobjects thereof, are set forth in the following specification andillustrated in the accompanying drawings comprising a part thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exemplary front verticalelevation of a riding toy specifically shown as a toy horse asrepresentative of a substantial group of riding types toys and embodyingthe principles of the present invention and illustrating two differenttypes of animal-simulating bodies supported upon an intermediate frame.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary end view of the toy shown in FIG. 1 as seen onthe line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical section of an elevation of one of theanimal-simulating bodies and the supporting means therefore shown inFIG. 1 as seen on the line 3-3 of said figure.

FIGS. 4 and 5 respectively show different arrangements ofspring-supporting means for the animalsimulating bodies of the typeshown in the preceding figures.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but illustrating a differentembodiment of the invention in which relatively small and largeanimal-simulating bodies are mounted upon spring means in side by siderelationship, the same being suspended upon a platform directlysupported by downwardly extending elongated members to provide swingingsupport for the platform to which the animal-simulating bodies areconnected.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional elevation of one of the animal-simulatingbodies and its supporting means as seen on the line 77 of FIG. ;6.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the animal-simulating body of theexemplary type shown in FIG. 7 and illustrating one position of the bodyin full lines with respect to the supporting platform while resting uponahorizontal surface such as a floor, and in phantom, showing a limitedtilting, swinging or bouncing type movement of the body relative to theplatform and illustrating the movement limiting function of the footrest bar which extends through said body.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary side elevation of another embodiment ofstabilizing means for the transverse supporting members which extendthrough the body of the riding toy for purposes of preventing relativerotation between said bar and body and thus rendering the toy safe touse.

FIGS. 10-13 are views similar to FIGS. 4 and 5 but respectively showingadditional spring arrangements to support a body of a riding type toy toproduce different bouncing movements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIGS. 1-3, it will be seen that asubstantially rectangular platform 10 is mounted upon an intermediatesupporting frame 12 which is suspended by a plurality of elongatedmembers 14 which are mounted adjacent a pair of transversely spacedupright members 16. The lower ends of opposite pairs of said elongatedmembers 14 are connected by transversely extending connecting members orportions 18, whereby each pair of members 14 and the connecting verseportions 18 thereof in an axial direction. The

upper ends of the elongated members, which comprise legs of saidU-shaped torsion bars, respectively are bent outwardly for receptionwithin suitable bearings 20 preferably recessed within the innersurfaces of the upright members l6.

The upright members 16 are also secured preferably in vertical positionperpendicular to a floor or other supporting surface by being secured tothe opposite ends of a horizontal rectangular frame or enclosure 22within which, for example, an elongated coiled spring type motor 24 iscontained. The motor is energized, for example, by a crank 26 shown atthe right hand end of FIG. 1. The spring motor 24 is suitably connectedto a rocking lever 28 which is parallel to and adjacent the innersurface of one of said upright members 16, as seen at the left hand endof FIG. 1, the rocking lever being mounted forwoscillation through alimited arc in the manner indicated by the directional arrows shown inFIG. 2. The upper end of the lever 28 is provided with a slot 30 withinwhich a pin 32 is disposed. The pin projects outwardly from the outersurface of an upstanding member 34 which is connected to one end of theplatform 10 and preferably is braced by a suitable block 36, forexample, or otherwise.

As best seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, the intermediate supporting frame 12 issubstantially U-shaped in crosssection for purposes of accommodating theframe 22 which encloses the coiled spring motor 24. This results in theframe 12 having downwardly extending legs 38 at opposite corners thereofand preferably anti-friction bearings 40 are suitably recessed into saidlegs and the opposite end portions of the transverse members 18 of theU-shaped torsion bars extend therethrough. Suitable staking means, orotherwise, are utilized to position the bearings longitudinally withrespect to the transverse members 18 and thereby secure the intermediatesupporting frame 12 in longitudinally desired relationship with respectto the upwardly extending elongated members 14 which project fromopposite ends of the members 18. Thus, in swinging movement of theintermediate supporting frame 12 with respect to the upright members 16,no interference is encountered but if desired, appropriate guide meansmay be provided on the inner surfaces of upright members 16, forexample, for engagement by the outer surfaces of the opposite ends ofintermediate supporting frame 12, if desired, such guide means being ofa stabilizing type such as those shown in either of applicantspreviously mentioned U.S. patents.

The outer sides of the intermediate supporting frame 12 preferably arecovered by suitable panels 42, for example, which extend between and areconnected to the outer surfaces of the legs 38, thereby somewhat maskingthe box-like enclosure frame 22 for the motor 24. Further, the box-likeframe 22 also serves as stop means for limiting the swinging movement ofthe intermediate supporting frame 12 as suspended upon the members 14.

The platform It) may be formed from any suitable material such asplywood, of suitable thickness, such as of the order /2 inch, forexample. The platform preferably is readily detachably connected to theupper surfaces of the various elements comprising intermediatesupporting frame 112 by quick-detachable means comprising, for example,angularly extending pins 44 which are fixedly supported by opposite endelements of the frame I2, as best shown in FIG. 3, the same extendingthrough complementary angular openings formed in the opposite ends ofthe platform adjacent one side edge thereof. The opposite side edge ofplatform 10 is provided with openings which receive the upper ends ofbolts 46, the lower portions of which are firmly connected to oppositeend portions of the supporting frame I2 and the upper end portionsextend through appropriate complementary openings formed in the platform10, wingnuts 48 preferably being used to prevent accidental removal ofthe platform 10 from the supporting frame ll2 until such removal isdesired. The lower surface of the platform 10 also preferably is smooth,so that the same may be disposed upon a supporting surface such as afloor, for example, if no rocking movement of the animal-simulatingbodies mounted thereon is desired. Such bodies and the connectionthereof to the platform 10 now will be de scribed.

Especially for purposes of affording enjoyment to children, the platform10 is intended to support animalsimulating bodies, such as a suitablymolded body of a horse 50; any other shape of animal may be used, asdesired, whereby the illustrated horse is merely intended to beexemplary. Said body may be suitably molded from synthetic resin, forexample, and types of horses of this kind are readily available frommanufacturers. They can be obtained in different sizes. Similarly, ifdesired, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 2, a suitable seat-like object 52,having opposite sides 54 which respectively imitate the opposite sidesof an animal such as a horse may be mounted upon the platform 10, theobject 52 having a seat 56 extending between the side members 54. Also afoot bar 58 and a hand bar 60 are disposed between the side members 54appropriately. The object 52 preferably is for very young children whomay sit therein upon seat 56 in substantial safety.

The animal body 50, such as a horse, may be provided with a pair of bars62 which extend transversely through appropriate openings in the bodyrespectively adjacent opposite ends thereof. This is best illustrated inFIG. 3. The body 50 also has a seat 64 thereon, which simulates a saddlefor example. Further, a hand bar 66 extends through and projects beyondopposite sides of the head portion of the body 50, while afootengageable and supporting bar 68 extends through and projects atopposite sides outwardly from the forward portion of the body 50, suchas from the forwardly extending front leg portion, as clearly shown inFIG. 3.

The body 50 is supported with respect to the platform 110 by springmeans, several examples of which respectively are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5as well as in FIG. 3. It will be seen that the spring means 70 shown inFIG. 3, for example, have oppositely bowed portions 72 and 74 which areintegrally connected and the lower ends of the bowed portions 72 alsoare integrally connected by an intermediate portion 76 which restsflatly upon the platform It) and is fixedly secured thereto byappropriate bolts or otherwise. The upper ends of the upper bowedportions 74 respectively extend outwardly from each other and aresecurely connected by bolts or otherwise to the oppositely projectingportions of the transverse bars 62 which project through the body 50.

In order to prevent undue bouncing gyration of the body relative to theplatform 10 when an active child is seated upon the body 50, it has beenfound that a safe situation can be achieved, while permitting limitedvertical bouncing movement, by rendering the bars 62 substantiallynon-rotatable with respect to the body 50. One embodiment foraccomplishing this is illustratedin FIGS. 3-5, in which it will be seenthat U-shaped bars 78 extend horizontally above the platform 10 and theopposite ends thereof extend upwardly through the bars 62 and areappropriately connected thereto by appropriate nuts, for example,affixed to threads on the terminal ends of the U-shaped bar 78. Sucharrangement is effective, yet is relatively inexpensive. Under certaincircumstances, the bars 78 and especially the horizontal lower portionsthereof may serve somewhat as a form of stirrup, as well as means toassist a child in mounting the seat 64 of the body 50, especially inregard to small, younger children.

The shapes of the springs shown in FIG. 3 may be varied in differentways. For example, in FIG. 4, it will seen that the springs 70' areseparate but each have oppositely extending bowed portions 72' and 74,but the lower ends of the portions 72' are not connected but instead,are separately connected by appropriate bolts or screws to the platform10. v

The arrangement in FIG. 5 is similar to that shown in FIG. 4 except thatthe separate springs 70" are reversed with respect to each other ascompared with the arrangement in FIG. 4, while the connected bowed portions 72" and 74" are provided for desirable functioning as in regard tothe spring arrangement shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The bars 62 to which theupper ends of the U-shaped stabilizing bars 78 are connected render thebars 62 substantially non-rotatable with respect to the body 50 whenmounted thereon, no such body being shown in the illustration of FIGS. 4and 5 in order to simplify the views.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, it will be seen that the platform 10 ismounted at a lower level with respect to a supporting surface such asfloor 80. This is accomplished by providing a pair of cross members orbattens 82 which are fixedly connected beneath the opposite ends of theplatform 10, by any suitable means such as bolts, weldments orotherwise. Referring to FIG. 7, it will be seen that the battens 82 havebearings 84 recessed therein at longitudinally spaced positions forreception of the intermediate portions 18 of the preferably U-shapedtorsion bars which include the vertically extending elongated members14, the upper ends of which are pivotally supported within recessedbearings 20 provided in the upright members 16, as in the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 1.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 has no motor or oscillating bar toeffect swinging movement of the platform 10 with respect to uprightmembers 16. Also, the members 16 are connected together adjacent thelower ends thereof by a transverse beam or panel 86 which is of ruggednature and employs stout angles or brackets 88 which are rigidlyconnected respectively to the members 16 and beam or panel 86 by heavyduty means such as screws, bolts or otherwise. Said supporting meanswhich permits the platform to be mounted closer to the floor 80, forexample, disposes the bodies 50 and 50 closer to the floor and therebyeven further minimizes the possibility of accidents occuring. Further,it will be seen that the body 50' is smaller than the body 50 and isadapted to support a smaller or younger child than that for which thebody 50 is intended.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the body 50 is supported by suitable springmeans such as spring 70 of the type shown in FIG. 3, such illustrationbeing for exemplary purposes however, rather than restriction. The lowerportions of the springs are firmly secured to the platform It) and,preferably, rubber grommets 90 are disposed between the springs and theplatform 10 to provide limited yieldability and thereby enhance thespringing action of the springs 70 and facilitate the yieldability ofvarious portions of the springs. It also will be understood that any ofthe other spring arrangements such as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, as well asstill others, may be substituted for those specifically illustrated inFIGS. 6-8. Otherwise, the function of the springs and the mannerin'which they are connected with respect to the body 50, so as toprevent relative rotation between the transverse supporting bar 62 andthe bodies 50, in the means by which this is accomplished, are the sameas shown and described above with respect to the embodiment shown inFIGS. 1-5 and repetition of the same here is not believed to benecessary except to indicate that in FIG. 7, for example, the exemplarycurved arrow 92 is included to exemplify the swinging movement providedby the pivoted elongated members 14, which is substantially in oppositehorizontal directions, while curved arrow 94 is illustrative of therocking movement afforded by the springs '70, for example, which issubstantially in a vertical direction.

Another feature of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 8 by comparingthe two positions of the body 50 wherein, the position shown in fulllines is the substantially normal, horizontal position, in which thefoot supporting bar 68 is spaced from the right hand end of spring 70,while in the downward position, shown in phantom, the bar 68 engages thesprings 70 and thereby limits the forward, downward movement of the body50 relative to the platform 10, thereby further affording relativesafety in operation of the toy.

In addition to the employment of the U-shaped bars '78 to preventrelative rotation between the bars 62 and the bodies 50, attention isdirected to FIG. 9 in which another embodiment of transverse bar 62 isshown in sectioned vertical view, the same extending through an opening96 in body 50 which is complementary to the cross-sectional shape of thepolygonal transverse bar 62' and thereby prevents relative rotationbetween said transverse bar and the body. Any of a number of suitablealternative geometric shapes may be used within the spirit of theinvention. This construction may be used in lieu of the U-shaped bars 78shown in the preceding figures, for example, where the latter are notdesired.

The spring arrangements shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are exemplary ofseveral types of spring mountings which may be used to produce thebouncing movements of various types described above. However, otherarrangements of the springs are possible to produce variations inmovements which primarily are in an up and down direction, includingsome pivotal or swivel type motions. Examples of such other arrangementsare shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 wherein, in the arrangement of FIG. 10,there will be a tendency for the front end of the body 50, of thepreceding figures, to move farther downward than the rearward endthereof, while in the arrangement of FIG. 11, the opposite is the case,due to the particular arrangements of the springs in fore and aftrelation of the lower bowed portions 72 in particular, which areresponsible for permitting the greatest amount of vertical movement, ascompared to bowed portions 74 of said springs.

In FIGS. 12 and 13, a different resulting movement of the supported bodyis possible, of a somewhat gyrating motion. This is due to arrangingboth the springs 70 at one side of the body in a reverse position to thesprings on the opposite side of the body. Thus, in FIG. 12, the largerbowed portions 72R at the right side of the body 50 both extendrearwardly, as shown in FIG. 10, and the larger bowed portions 72L ofthe springs at the left side of body 50 extend forwardly, as shown inFIG. 11. In FIG. 13, the larger bowed portions 72R at the right side ofbody 50 are arranged like the springs 70 shown in FIG. 4 while at theleft side of the body 50, the larger bowed portions 72L are arranged asshown in FIG. 5.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention providesan animal type riding toy for children which uses simulated animalbodies supported by spring means which afford bouncing movement in amore or less vertical direction, while the platform upon which thebodies are supported are connected to the lower end portions ofpreferably U-shaped torsion bars which include vertically disposedelongated members 14 which provide swinging movement for the platform 10and the bodies 50 supported thereby, the members 14 preferably beingsubstantially parallel to each other so that the platform 10 issubstantially horizontal in all swinging positions. As a result,compound movement of the bodies 50 is provided to afford enjoyment tochildren and simulate not only up and down vertical movement of a realhorse but also rearward and forward movements thereof when the bodies 50are at least in opposite horizontal directions during the excursions ofthe platform 10 as supported by the torsion bars.

While the invention has been described and illustrated in its severalpreferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is notto be limited to the precise details herein illustrated and describedsince the same may be carried out in other ways falling within the scopeof the invention as illustrated and described. In particular, theillustrated animal simulating bodies are exemplary of a substantialrange of riding toys which may be employed, such as automobiles, firetrucks, aeroplanes, rockets, and otherwise.

I claim:

l. A riding type toy for children comprising in combination, asubstantially horizontal platform, a simulated body having a seat meansto accommodate a child mounted in spaced relation to said platform abovethe upper surface thereof, spring means extending between said platformand the lower portion of said body to constitute the sole connectiontherebetween and operable to permit vertical springing and swivelmovement of said body relative to said platform, a frame having a pairof transversely spaced upright members respectively adjacent a pair ofopposite side edges of said platform, elongated members extendingdownwardly from the upper portions of said upright members and dependingtherefrom for swinging movement of the lower portions thereof, and meansinterconnecting the lower portions of said suspended members to saidplatform at transversely spaced locations in opposite substantiallyhorizontal directions, whereby compound swinging and springing movementsof said body relative to said frame are induced by actions of the riderand are indirectly compounded by the swinging movement of the platform.

2. The toy according to claim ii in which pairs of said elongatedmembers extend downward from the upper portions of said upright membersat transversely spaced locations with respect to said upright members toeffect movement of said platform and the body connected theretosubstantially within a horizontal position at various elevationscontrolled by the swinging movement of said elongated members.

3. The toy according to claim 1 in which said spring means comprisemultiple sections bowed outwardly in reverse directions and respectivelyengage said body adjacent opposite ends thereof to permit tiltingvertical springing movements thereof when a child is supported upon saidbody.

4. The toy according to claim 3 in which said spring means extend withinvertical planes and the lower portions of said spring means are fixed tosaid platform and the upper portions thereof are secured to membersextending transversely through said body respectively adjacent oppositeends thereof and fixed non-rotatably to said body, the opposite ends ofsaid transverse members projecting from opposite sides of said body forconnection to the upper portions of said spring means.

5. The toy according to claim 4 further including a foot rest barprojecting through the forward portion of said body and normally spacedat a predetermined distance above said spring means and the opposite endportions of said foot rest bar being adapted to engage areas of saidspring means incident to tilting movement of said body relative to saidplatform and thereby limit downward movement of said body toward saidplatform for purposes of safety.

6. The toy according to claim 4 in which said spring means are providedwith S-shaped portions respectively facing in opposite direction and thelower ends thereof being connected by an integral member com prisingportions of said spring means.

7. The toy according to claim 1 further including an intermediatesupporting frame between the lower portions of said elongated membersand said platform, motor means positioned beneath said platform, and arocking arm pivoted relative to one of said upright members andinterconnected to said motor for oscillating movement thereby, saidrocking arm also interengaging said platform and being adapted to moveit horizontally for swinging movement to and fro.

8. The toy according to claim 7 in which said intermediate supportingframe is substantially U-shaped in cross-section and straddles saidelongated motor means, said motor means extending between said uprightmembers and including spacing means connected at the ends thereofrespectively to the lower end portions of said upright members.

9. The toy according to claim 8 in which said platform is provided withan upstanding member connected to one end thereof, and pin and slotco-engaging means disposed between the upper portion of said upstandingmember and said rocking arm to provide an oscillating movement of saidarm reciprocation of said platform in opposite substantially horizontaldirections in a gliding motion.

1. A riding type toy for children comprising in combination, asubstantially horizontal platform, a simulated body having a seat meansto accommodate a child mounted in spaced relation to said platform abovethe upper surface thereof, spring means extending between said platformand the lower portion of said body to constitute the sole connectiontherebetween and operable to permit vertical springing and swivelmovement of said body relative to said platform, a frame having a pairof transversely spaced upright members respectively adjacent a pair ofopposite side edges of said platform, elongated members extendingdownwardly from the upper portions of said upright members and dependingtherefrom for swinging movement of the lower portions thereof, and meansinterconnecting the lower portions of said suspended members to saidplatform at transversely spaced locations in opposite substantiallyhorizontal directions, whereby compound swinging and springing movementsof said body relative to said frame are induced by actions of the riderand are indirectly compounded by the swinging movement of the platform.2. The toy according to claim 1 in which pairs of said elongated membersextend downward from the upper portions of said upright members attransversely spaced locations with respect to said upright members toeffect movement of said platform and the body connected theretosubstantially within a horizontal position at various elevationscontrolled by the swinging movement of said elongated members.
 3. Thetoy according to claim 1 in which said spring means comprise multiplesections bowed outwardly in reverse directions and respectively engagesaid body adjacent opposite ends thereof to permit tilting verticalspringing movements thereof when a child is supported upon said body. 4.The toy according to claim 3 in which said spring means extend withinvertical planes and the lower portions of said spring means are fixed tosaid platform and the upper portions thereof are secured to membersextending transversely through said body respectively adjacent oppositeends thereof and fixed non-rotatably to said body, the opposite ends ofsaid transverse members projecting from opposite sides of said body forconnection to the upper portions of said spring means.
 5. The toyaccording to claim 4 further including a foot rest bar projectingthrough the forward portion of said body and normally spaced at apredetermined distance above said spring means and the opposite endportions of said foot rest bar being adapted to engage areas of saidspring means incident to tilting movement of said body relative to saidplatform and thereby limit downward movement of said body toward saidplatform for purposes of safety.
 6. The toy according to claim 4 inwhich said spring means are provided with S-shaped portions respectivelyfacing in opposite direction and the lower ends thereof being connectedby an integral member comprising portions of said spring means.
 7. Thetoy according to claim 1 further including an intermediate supportingframe between the lower portions of said elongated members and saidplatform, motor means positioned beneath said platform, and a rockingarm pivoted relative to one of said upright members and interconnectedto said motor for oscillating movement thereby, said rocking arm alsointerengaging said platform and being adapted to move it horizontallyfor swinging movement to and fro.
 8. The toy according to claim 7 inwhich said intermediate supporting frame is substantially U-shaped incross-section and straddles said elongated motor means, said motor meansextending between said upright members and incLuding spacing meansconnected at the ends thereof respectively to the lower end portions ofsaid upright members.
 9. The toy according to claim 8 in which saidplatform is provided with an upstanding member connected to one endthereof, and pin and slot co-engaging means disposed between the upperportion of said upstanding member and said rocking arm to provide anoscillating movement of said arm reciprocation of said platform inopposite substantially horizontal directions in a gliding motion.